Published: Monday, July 29, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 29, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

Joseph Heck, 14, drew back his bowstring, exhaled and released his arrow. With a loud thud, the arrow landed squarely in the chest of a realistic Russian boar target molded out of foam.

"Nice shot, Joseph," said his father, Tom, standing safely behind him along a wooded trail in Mills River with his 9-year-old daughter, Liza.

All three family members wore quivers of arrows slung over their shoulders and carried bows much like those used by ancient Cherokees — no pulley systems, no laser sights, no stabilizers.

After seeing a newspaper notice about it, the Hecks came to Mills River to participate in a Powder Creek Traditional Archers' tournament Sunday on the club's range off Pennsylvania Road. The two-day tourney offered the Hecks and 60 other archers the chance to shoot at 40 3-D foam targets set up along two courses.

"The scoring is simple," said club President Jeff Holbert. "It's 5 points if you hit it in the body. If you hit it in the vital section, it's 8 points. And if you hit the bull's-eye within that circle, it's 10 points."

The tournament was open to fans of longbows, recurves and other traditional bows, which club members say provide a greater challenge than modern compound bows. All skill levels were welcome.

The Hecks admitted they were novices, but that didn't prevent them from having fun.

"This is something that we can all do together, which is nice," said Tom Heck. "We just thought it would be an interesting challenge and an opportunity to walk through the woods."

The family has a square target in their backyard in Asheville, which they take turns shooting arrows at from time to time. But the opportunity to shoot at foam warthogs, raccoons, bobcats, buffalo, grizzly bear and other exotic "game" was much more exciting, Joseph said.

Further up the trail, Liza garnered a "kill shot" on an African lion, drilling him in the heart/lung area. That was after a practice shot that hit him squarely in the butt.

"If that was a real lion, ouch!" she exclaimed.

Archers could take a mulligan during the tournament, replacing a missed shot with 5 points if they nailed a moving foam target shaped like a UFO on their first draw. The tournament's skilled participants rarely missed the target altogether, but not every arrow hit where intended.

"With traditional archery, every shot can be a surprise," said Linda Brittain, Powder Creek's secretary and treasurer. That's because traditional bows lack the mechanical advantages that help offset human errors, such as a poor release, she said.

Brittain said some compound bow users have returned to traditional archery tournaments for their simplicity and good-natured competition.

"Some of them were getting too competitive," she said. "They'll get upset if they miss by an inch or two."

<p>Joseph Heck, 14, drew back his bowstring, exhaled and released his arrow. With a loud thud, the arrow landed squarely in the chest of a realistic Russian boar target molded out of foam. </p><p>"Nice shot, Joseph," said his father, Tom, standing safely behind him along a wooded trail in Mills River with his 9-year-old daughter, Liza. </p><p>All three family members wore quivers of arrows slung over their shoulders and carried bows much like those used by ancient Cherokees — no pulley systems, no laser sights, no stabilizers.</p><p>After seeing a newspaper notice about it, the Hecks came to Mills River to participate in a Powder Creek Traditional Archers' tournament Sunday on the club's range off Pennsylvania Road. The two-day tourney offered the Hecks and 60 other archers the chance to shoot at 40 3-D foam targets set up along two courses.</p><p>"The scoring is simple," said club President Jeff Holbert. "It's 5 points if you hit it in the body. If you hit it in the vital section, it's 8 points. And if you hit the bull's-eye within that circle, it's 10 points."</p><p>The tournament was open to fans of longbows, recurves and other traditional bows, which club members say provide a greater challenge than modern compound bows. All skill levels were welcome. </p><p>The Hecks admitted they were novices, but that didn't prevent them from having fun.</p><p>"This is something that we can all do together, which is nice," said Tom Heck. "We just thought it would be an interesting challenge and an opportunity to walk through the woods."</p><p>The family has a square target in their backyard in Asheville, which they take turns shooting arrows at from time to time. But the opportunity to shoot at foam warthogs, raccoons, bobcats, buffalo, grizzly bear and other exotic "game" was much more exciting, Joseph said.</p><p>Further up the trail, Liza garnered a "kill shot" on an African lion, drilling him in the heart/lung area. That was after a practice shot that hit him squarely in the butt.</p><p>"If that was a real lion, ouch!" she exclaimed.</p><p>Archers could take a mulligan during the tournament, replacing a missed shot with 5 points if they nailed a moving foam target shaped like a UFO on their first draw. The tournament's skilled participants rarely missed the target altogether, but not every arrow hit where intended.</p><p>"With traditional archery, every shot can be a surprise," said Linda Brittain, Powder Creek's secretary and treasurer. That's because traditional bows lack the mechanical advantages that help offset human errors, such as a poor release, she said.</p><p>Brittain said some compound bow users have returned to traditional archery tournaments for their simplicity and good-natured competition.</p><p>"Some of them were getting too competitive," she said. "They'll get upset if they miss by an inch or two."</p><p>Tournament winners from Saturday and Sunday's event, by category, were: Corey Dearing (cub shooter); Rick Cain (primitive class); Dave Bishop (men's longbow); Donnie Kinard (men's recurve); Braxton Tesh (modern traditional class); Sharon Goad (women's longbow); and Diane Carter (women's recurve).</p><p>For more information about Powder Creek membership or traditional archery, call Brittain at 828-891-3332 or Holbert at 828-551-4076.</p>